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Cristaldi Scores

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Wine

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Vintage

Wine

Color

Rating

2022

Marine Layer Wines

Marine Layer Brut Rosé

Rob Fischer tells me that he and the team at Marine Layer Wines have a deep admiration for grower Champagne. Having loved his time making sparkling wine at Domaine Carneros, he was eager to bring that sensibility back to Marine Layer. The wine blends Clone 115 from the Marine Layer Estate with Chardonnay from Gap’s Crown Vineyard. The base wine is barrel-fermented in neutral oak, then aged sur lie for 22 months with low dosage. The finished wine offers lovely baking spice and citrus notes alongside white flowers and subtle nutty undertones. A bright, creamy mousse carries flavours of cherry pit and white plum, underpinned by a saline-driven acid tension that lingers through the expressive, finely balanced finish.

2023

Marine Layer Wines

Bohemian Vineyard Pinot Noir

Sourced from Bohemian Vineyard, a 7-acre Pinot Noir site in the Freestone of the Sonoma Coast, this vineyard is planted to a mix of Dijon clones in classic Goldridge soils and exposed to the full spectrum of cool-climate conditions the area is known for. The fruit is hand-picked at night and fermented with 20% whole cluster, followed by a cool native fermentation and 16 days on the skins. The wine is gravity-drained and lightly pressed, then aged for 11 months in 25% new French oak. In 2023, the wine is distinctly red-fruit driven, layered with savory spice and marked by beautiful linearity and focus. There’s a firm, tactile grip from the tannins—shaped by skins that contend with the site’s extreme cold and wind—alongside sumptuous earth notes, white truffle, and white pepper interlaced with crunchy red fruit. Bright acidity provides strong structural bones, while the tannins build with a delicate yet persistent intensity. Complex, heady, and deeply site-expressive.

2023

Marine Layer Wines

Brosseau Vineyard Syrah

Sourced from the old-block vines of Brosseau Vineyard in the Chalone AVA, these vines are roughly 30+ years old and planted to the Alban clone 877 and a so-called “Samsonite” clone, which may or may not be related to Chave material. This is a true clonal field blend, picked all together and fermented with 60% whole cluster in stainless steel. After a gentle overnight draining and very light pressing, the wine is transferred to two used 500-litre puncheons, where it ages for 11 months before racking and bottling. The nose is stunning, lifted with violets and crushed iris notes, black macerated cherry, and a savoury edge of white truffle and charcuterie. On the palate, the wine is medium- to full-bodied, showing beautiful blood-orange notes layered with black cherry. A strong underpinning of energy and tension drives the wine, supported by impressive concentration and tannins that build steadily through the long, full-bodied finish.

2023

Marine Layer Wines

Dutton-Upp Road Vineyard Pinot Noir

Dutton-Upp Road Vineyard is a three-acre, southwest-facing hillside site in the heart of Green Valley, within the broader Dutton Ranch holdings. Rob Fischer holds an acreage contract here, allowing for close control over the farming of Clone 943. The clone tends to deliver a dark-fruited, juicy profile from very small berries, often with more chicks than hens, resulting in natural concentration. Whole cluster inclusion is pushed to upwards of 60% in this wine. In the glass, the wine is dynamically earthy, marked by damp forest floor and black truffle notes, framed by black tea–like tannins that bring bite and tension. Layers of black cherry, spiced plum, and brambly blackberry unfold alongside refined cedarwood, with a hint of redwood bark emerging on the long, lingering finish. Red-spice accents and vibrant red fruit carry through the close, giving the wine both power and precision.

2023

Marine Layer Wines

Gap's Crown Vineyard Pinot Noir

Rob Fischer’s sourcing from Gap’s Crown Vineyard includes primarily mid-slope fruit, along with a smaller portion from near the top of the site, close to the crown. That upper-elevation fruit brings a distinct brightness that complements the more blue-fruited lushness of the mid-slope blocks. In 2023, the wine is very much a crowd-pleaser, anchored by a rich mid-palate and framed by elegant cedarwood spice from 30% new French oak. Unsweetened cocoa powder tannins give shape and texture, while the long, earthy finish reveals white pepper nuances and subtle smoked paprika notes. Velvety tannins build gracefully through the close, and a lift of florality adds freshness and balance throughout.

2023

Marine Layer Wines

Grand Vent Vineyard Pinot Noir

Grand Vent Vineyard lies about six miles west of the town of Petaluma, a cool, wind-swept site. That exposure brings a distinctive tannic grip to the wine. It builds steadily in the glass with smoky clove notes, cherry fruit, and blood orange, all melding seamlessly on the medium-bodied palate. Ultra-fine, velvety tannins support a very juicy mid-palate, carrying through to a long finish marked by wet-slate minerality and gently building tannin. The overall impression is one of generosity and freshness, underpinned by layered, finely tuned textural complexity.

2023

Marine Layer Wines

Hydra

Hydra Red Wine is a blend of 85% Grenache and 15% Syrah, sourced from Brosseau Vineyard in the Chalone AVA. Fermentation includes 70% whole cluster and 30% destemmed whole berries, using native yeasts, followed by 10 months of ageing in neutral 500-litre oak puncheons. The wine is super-juicy, easy-drinking, vibrant, and energetic, bursting with blue fruit and exotic brown spice—what Rob Fischer aptly calls a “Christmas spice” character. Hydra is the bottling that allows Fischer to experiment freely each year, a true winemaker’s blend driven by instinct and creativity. In this vintage, the wine shows an almost carbonic lift, incredibly bright and juicy, layered with pastille-like fruit, a dusting of white pepper, and a generous, easy-going texture. Inspired by trips to Spain and the culture of effortlessly drinkable reds meant to be enjoyed over long meals—and more than one bottle—he absolutely nailed it here.

2023

Marine Layer Wines

Lyra Pinot Noir

Lyra is the Sonoma Coast blend, built on Marine Layer fruit alongside select Dutton sites and Jentoff, a 16-acre vineyard west of the town of Occidental. The blend also includes fruit from Gap’s Crown Vineyard and Annapolis, with Uproad Vineyard contributing from the heart of Green Valley, rooted in Goldridge’s red-brown, fluffy soils. For Rob Fischer, Lyra is meant to be representative of vibrant coastal red fruit and lively acidity. Fermentations include 20–25% whole cluster, followed by ageing for 11 months in 22% new French oak. The wine leads with a stunning, heady burst of juicy red cherry, raspberry, and red floral notes, layered with orange peel, subtle hints of vanilla or strawberry panna cotta, and a touch of redwood bark and loamy earth. Bright and buoyant on the palate, it’s juicy and lifted, framed by fine-grained, cocoa-powder-like tannins. Brown baking spices, a touch of clove, and a hint of grapefruit zest carry through the long, expressive finish.

2023

Marine Layer Wines

River Camp Ridge Pinot Noir

River Camp Vineyard sits in Anderson Valley on the northern side of the Navarro River and is planted entirely to a single Pinot Noir selection, Clone 828. In the glass, the wine shows blue-black fruit, forest berry, and pine forest earth notes, layered with brown spice. The palate is juicy and generous, building through the mid-palate with white-pepper-dusted earth, crushed clove, and a supple richness that carries through the finish.

2023

Marine Layer Wines

Whistler Vineyard Pinot Noir

The Whistler Vineyard—a former Banshee site—sits above the fog line at roughly 800–1,000 feet in elevation. The soils are primarily Goldridge sandy loam with uplifted marine sediment. Berry size is small, with tight clusters from a mix of Swan, Pommard, and Dijon clones 667, 777, and 115, resulting in notable concentration and extract. Rob Fischer is particularly fond of incorporating some whole cluster here, which shows up as white pepper, clove, and subtle black tea aromatics. On the palate, the wine delivers loads of crunchy red fruit—strawberry, raspberry, and cherry—balanced by a strong earthy drive. There’s impressive mid-palate richness and an expansive, creamy texture, layered with savoury notes of chanterelle mushroom and white pepper. The finish is long and expressive, framed by apple-skin tannins that add grip and persistence without sacrificing energy or freshness.

2024

Marine Layer Wines

Aries Chardonnay

Sources include vineyards in Freestone-Occidental and the Petaluma Gap, along with the Marine Layer Vineyard in the Sebastopol Hills and fruit from Green Valley. Fermentations are native, with partial malolactic fermentation, followed by gentle lees stirring once per month. The wine is aged for 11 months in 500-litre puncheons from Stockinger, Damy, and Atelier, bottled unfined and lightly filtered. The wine builds beautifully in the glass, opening with bright aromatics of apple and white flowers, accented by a pop of tarragon or fennel. On the palate, a lovely creamy core from Wente Clone and Calera clones is framed by subtle apple-skin tannin grip, with hints of brioche and beeswax adding depth. It finishes with a wet-stone mineral character and crunchy sea-salt salinity, bringing lift, precision, and a sense of controlled unctuousness through the close. The 2024 vintage was a little warmer than 2023 but this is right in the same pocket qualitatively as the 2023. Snap it up!

Vintage

Wine

Type

Color

Rating

$

2022

Producer

Name

Rob Fischer tells me that he and the team at Marine Layer Wines have a deep admiration for grower Champagne. Having loved his time making sparkling wine at Domaine Carneros, he was eager to bring that sensibility back to Marine Layer. The wine blends Clone 115 from the Marine Layer Estate with Chardonnay from Gap’s Crown Vineyard. The base wine is barrel-fermented in neutral oak, then aged sur lie for 22 months with low dosage. The finished wine offers lovely baking spice and citrus notes alongside white flowers and subtle nutty undertones. A bright, creamy mousse carries flavours of cherry pit and white plum, underpinned by a saline-driven acid tension that lingers through the expressive, finely balanced finish.

2023

Producer

Name

Sourced from Bohemian Vineyard, a 7-acre Pinot Noir site in the Freestone of the Sonoma Coast, this vineyard is planted to a mix of Dijon clones in classic Goldridge soils and exposed to the full spectrum of cool-climate conditions the area is known for. The fruit is hand-picked at night and fermented with 20% whole cluster, followed by a cool native fermentation and 16 days on the skins. The wine is gravity-drained and lightly pressed, then aged for 11 months in 25% new French oak. In 2023, the wine is distinctly red-fruit driven, layered with savory spice and marked by beautiful linearity and focus. There’s a firm, tactile grip from the tannins—shaped by skins that contend with the site’s extreme cold and wind—alongside sumptuous earth notes, white truffle, and white pepper interlaced with crunchy red fruit. Bright acidity provides strong structural bones, while the tannins build with a delicate yet persistent intensity. Complex, heady, and deeply site-expressive.

2023

Producer

Name

Sourced from the old-block vines of Brosseau Vineyard in the Chalone AVA, these vines are roughly 30+ years old and planted to the Alban clone 877 and a so-called “Samsonite” clone, which may or may not be related to Chave material. This is a true clonal field blend, picked all together and fermented with 60% whole cluster in stainless steel. After a gentle overnight draining and very light pressing, the wine is transferred to two used 500-litre puncheons, where it ages for 11 months before racking and bottling. The nose is stunning, lifted with violets and crushed iris notes, black macerated cherry, and a savoury edge of white truffle and charcuterie. On the palate, the wine is medium- to full-bodied, showing beautiful blood-orange notes layered with black cherry. A strong underpinning of energy and tension drives the wine, supported by impressive concentration and tannins that build steadily through the long, full-bodied finish.

2023

Producer

Name

Dutton-Upp Road Vineyard is a three-acre, southwest-facing hillside site in the heart of Green Valley, within the broader Dutton Ranch holdings. Rob Fischer holds an acreage contract here, allowing for close control over the farming of Clone 943. The clone tends to deliver a dark-fruited, juicy profile from very small berries, often with more chicks than hens, resulting in natural concentration. Whole cluster inclusion is pushed to upwards of 60% in this wine. In the glass, the wine is dynamically earthy, marked by damp forest floor and black truffle notes, framed by black tea–like tannins that bring bite and tension. Layers of black cherry, spiced plum, and brambly blackberry unfold alongside refined cedarwood, with a hint of redwood bark emerging on the long, lingering finish. Red-spice accents and vibrant red fruit carry through the close, giving the wine both power and precision.

2023

Producer

Name

Rob Fischer’s sourcing from Gap’s Crown Vineyard includes primarily mid-slope fruit, along with a smaller portion from near the top of the site, close to the crown. That upper-elevation fruit brings a distinct brightness that complements the more blue-fruited lushness of the mid-slope blocks. In 2023, the wine is very much a crowd-pleaser, anchored by a rich mid-palate and framed by elegant cedarwood spice from 30% new French oak. Unsweetened cocoa powder tannins give shape and texture, while the long, earthy finish reveals white pepper nuances and subtle smoked paprika notes. Velvety tannins build gracefully through the close, and a lift of florality adds freshness and balance throughout.

2023

Producer

Name

Grand Vent Vineyard lies about six miles west of the town of Petaluma, a cool, wind-swept site. That exposure brings a distinctive tannic grip to the wine. It builds steadily in the glass with smoky clove notes, cherry fruit, and blood orange, all melding seamlessly on the medium-bodied palate. Ultra-fine, velvety tannins support a very juicy mid-palate, carrying through to a long finish marked by wet-slate minerality and gently building tannin. The overall impression is one of generosity and freshness, underpinned by layered, finely tuned textural complexity.

2023

Producer

Name

Hydra Red Wine is a blend of 85% Grenache and 15% Syrah, sourced from Brosseau Vineyard in the Chalone AVA. Fermentation includes 70% whole cluster and 30% destemmed whole berries, using native yeasts, followed by 10 months of ageing in neutral 500-litre oak puncheons. The wine is super-juicy, easy-drinking, vibrant, and energetic, bursting with blue fruit and exotic brown spice—what Rob Fischer aptly calls a “Christmas spice” character. Hydra is the bottling that allows Fischer to experiment freely each year, a true winemaker’s blend driven by instinct and creativity. In this vintage, the wine shows an almost carbonic lift, incredibly bright and juicy, layered with pastille-like fruit, a dusting of white pepper, and a generous, easy-going texture. Inspired by trips to Spain and the culture of effortlessly drinkable reds meant to be enjoyed over long meals—and more than one bottle—he absolutely nailed it here.

2023

Producer

Name

Lyra is the Sonoma Coast blend, built on Marine Layer fruit alongside select Dutton sites and Jentoff, a 16-acre vineyard west of the town of Occidental. The blend also includes fruit from Gap’s Crown Vineyard and Annapolis, with Uproad Vineyard contributing from the heart of Green Valley, rooted in Goldridge’s red-brown, fluffy soils. For Rob Fischer, Lyra is meant to be representative of vibrant coastal red fruit and lively acidity. Fermentations include 20–25% whole cluster, followed by ageing for 11 months in 22% new French oak. The wine leads with a stunning, heady burst of juicy red cherry, raspberry, and red floral notes, layered with orange peel, subtle hints of vanilla or strawberry panna cotta, and a touch of redwood bark and loamy earth. Bright and buoyant on the palate, it’s juicy and lifted, framed by fine-grained, cocoa-powder-like tannins. Brown baking spices, a touch of clove, and a hint of grapefruit zest carry through the long, expressive finish.

2023

Producer

Name

River Camp Vineyard sits in Anderson Valley on the northern side of the Navarro River and is planted entirely to a single Pinot Noir selection, Clone 828. In the glass, the wine shows blue-black fruit, forest berry, and pine forest earth notes, layered with brown spice. The palate is juicy and generous, building through the mid-palate with white-pepper-dusted earth, crushed clove, and a supple richness that carries through the finish.

2023

Producer

Name

The Whistler Vineyard—a former Banshee site—sits above the fog line at roughly 800–1,000 feet in elevation. The soils are primarily Goldridge sandy loam with uplifted marine sediment. Berry size is small, with tight clusters from a mix of Swan, Pommard, and Dijon clones 667, 777, and 115, resulting in notable concentration and extract. Rob Fischer is particularly fond of incorporating some whole cluster here, which shows up as white pepper, clove, and subtle black tea aromatics. On the palate, the wine delivers loads of crunchy red fruit—strawberry, raspberry, and cherry—balanced by a strong earthy drive. There’s impressive mid-palate richness and an expansive, creamy texture, layered with savoury notes of chanterelle mushroom and white pepper. The finish is long and expressive, framed by apple-skin tannins that add grip and persistence without sacrificing energy or freshness.

2024

Producer

Name

Sources include vineyards in Freestone-Occidental and the Petaluma Gap, along with the Marine Layer Vineyard in the Sebastopol Hills and fruit from Green Valley. Fermentations are native, with partial malolactic fermentation, followed by gentle lees stirring once per month. The wine is aged for 11 months in 500-litre puncheons from Stockinger, Damy, and Atelier, bottled unfined and lightly filtered. The wine builds beautifully in the glass, opening with bright aromatics of apple and white flowers, accented by a pop of tarragon or fennel. On the palate, a lovely creamy core from Wente Clone and Calera clones is framed by subtle apple-skin tannin grip, with hints of brioche and beeswax adding depth. It finishes with a wet-stone mineral character and crunchy sea-salt salinity, bringing lift, precision, and a sense of controlled unctuousness through the close. The 2024 vintage was a little warmer than 2023 but this is right in the same pocket qualitatively as the 2023. Snap it up!

Vintage

Wine

Type

Rating

$

2022

2022 Marine Layer Wines Marine Layer Brut Rosé

Sparkling Wine

$$

2023

2023 Marine Layer Wines Bohemian Vineyard Pinot Noir

Still Wine

$$

2023

2023 Marine Layer Wines Brosseau Vineyard Syrah

Still Wine

$$

2023

2023 Marine Layer Wines Dutton-Upp Road Vineyard Pinot Noir

Still Wine

$$

2023

2023 Marine Layer Wines Gap’s Crown Vineyard Pinot Noir

Still Wine

$$

2023

2023 Marine Layer Wines Grand Vent Vineyard Pinot Noir

Still Wine

$$

2023

2023 Marine Layer Wines Hydra

Still Wine

$

2023

2023 Marine Layer Wines Lyra Pinot Noir

Still Wine

$

2023

2023 Marine Layer Wines River Camp Ridge Pinot Noir

Still Wine

$$

2023

2023 Marine Layer Wines Whistler Vineyard Pinot Noir

Still Wine

$$

2024

2024 Marine Layer Wines Aries Chardonnay

Still Wine

$

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